Jared Kushner Unveils Stunning Gaza Masterplan | WATCH
Kushner: "New Gaza it could be a hub. It could be a destination, have a lot of industry and really be a place that the people there can thrive, have great employment. Once this starts going, we think there should be 100% full employment and opportunity for everybody there."
Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law and one of the key architects of the Gaza ceasefire deal, laid out an ambitious vision for Gaza's future at the first meeting of "Trump's Board of Peace" at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
The war in Gaza is over, Kushner declared, and now the international community must focus on enforcing Hamas's disarmament and rebuilding the region's economy.
Kushner revealed that the current operational phase focuses on dismantling Hamas's military capabilities as part of implementing the ceasefire agreement.
"The next step is working with Hamas on disarmament," Kushner said, emphasizing this is a fundamental condition for any future development. "Without security, nobody will make investments. Nobody will come build there."
He made clear that Hamas has 100 days to disarm, echoing the president's warning that "if not, it will be their end."
"We could have entertained the idea of saying: let's build a free zone, and then we'll have a Hamas zone. And then we said, you know what? Let's just plan for catastrophic success. Hamas signed an agreement to disarm. That's what we're going to enforce. We don't have a Plan B. We have a plan. We signed an agreement. We're all committed to making this agreement work."
During his speech, Kushner presented stark figures from the two-year conflict: 90,000 tons of ammunition were dropped, leaving over 60 million tons of rubble.
"The new government in Gaza will work with Hamas on disarmament to really take the principles agreed upon in the document to the next stage," he said, adding a clear warning: "If Hamas doesn't disarm, that's what will prevent Gaza and the people of Gaza from realizing their aspirations."
Kushner's economic vision centers on transforming the Gaza Strip from an entity dependent on humanitarian aid, currently 85% of its GDP, into a thriving free-market economy.
"We want to bring that same mentality, that same approach to a place like Gaza to give these people the ability to prosper and live good lives," he explained.
The plan includes building new cities and affordable housing within two to three years, with help from international real estate experts who have volunteered for the project. Kushner displayed a map showing a proposed airport and seaport for Gaza.
Kushner praised the broad regional cooperation that included Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
"This agreement happened only because we worked with Israel, Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. Everyone worked together," he said.
He had a message for critics: "I see a lot of people trying to escalate, criticizing Israel or Israelis criticizing Turkey or Qatar, just calm down for 30 days. I think the war is over, let's do our best to try to work together."
Kushner thanked President Trump for his leadership, noting that many considered ending the war impossible, but the president's commitment made it happen.
Over the next 100 days, the "Peace Council" will focus on implementing disarmament provisions, providing humanitarian shelter, and creating conditions for private sector investments that will be announced at an upcoming conference in Washington.